Bed.



G. C. GUMM.

BED.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2, 1911.

Patented Aug. 29, 1911 Z SHEETS-SHBET l.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0., WASHINGTON. D. c.

G. G. GUMM.

BBD.

l APPLICATION I'ILBD FEB. 2, 1911. 1,001,946. Patented Aug. 29, 1911,

2 .SHEETS-SHEET 2.

5mm/Wto@ COLUMNA PLANOGRAPM c0.,wAsMlNn1'oN. D. c.

ENTTEE STATES PATENT EETCE.

GEORGE C. GUlVIlVI, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT 0F COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR OE ONE-HALF T0 LEWIS E. ROGERS, OE WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

BED.

To all whom it may concern/:

Be it known that l, GEORGE C. GUMM, a citizen of the United States, residing at lVashington, Dist-riet of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Beds, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates generally to berths or bunks, being more particularly and primarily directed to that class adapted for use in institutions housing a large number of persons where maintenance of sanitary conditions and economy of space are of primary importance.

The essential features of the invention reside i-n a bed or bunk frame, detachably and pivotally connected to its support and formed practically of a single length of material disposed in approximately one plane, in a mattress element especially adapted for use in conjunction with said frame, and in means to maintain the bed or bunk either in operative position as such suspended above the iloor or in position folded closely adjacent the wall.

One object of the invention is the provision of a sanitary bed the structure of which affords practically no opportunity for the collection of vermin or dirt and which is adapted for rapid and completely-efective cleaning when found necessary.

Another object is to provide a bunk or bed of the class described which, when in operative position, possesses all the requisites of such structures commonly in use in institutions such as above mentioned and which, when desired, can be folded against and maintained closely adjacent to the wall of the room, thus permitting the employment of practically the entire floor space of the latter.

Another object is to provide a bed struc- Specication of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 2, 1911.

Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

Serial No. 606,197.

tending to simplify the device will be eniployed.

With these as the primary objects of the invention the latter will now be described in the following speciiication, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and then more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

ln the drawings, Figure l is a perspective of my invention showing a usual two-tier arrangement of the bunks, illustrating an upper bunk folded upwardly against the wall and a lower bunk extended in operative position. F ig. 2 is a perspective of the preferred form of the bed frame. Fig. 3V is a broken section illustrating the means for maintaining pivotal connection of the bed frame and its bearing. Fig. 4 is a broken perspective illustrating a connection of the bed frame supporting rod and means to insure automatic engagement of the latter with the said frame. Fig. 5 is a perspective of the mattress element F ig. G and F ig. 7 are perspectives of modifications, and F ig. 8 shows a modification.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein the details of the preferred form of my invention are illustrated and wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views, l denotes the bed frame, preferably of metal, which may be formed, with equal effectiveness, either of lengths of pipe material joined by union couplings 2 as illustrated, or of a single length of material forged or cast, as desired, the desirability of the illustrated method springing from the facility with which storing and shipping and the incidental assembling and disconnecting may be accomplished.

3 indicates uprights, by preference formed of metal, of appropriate dimensions and disposed in suitable spaced relation in accordance with the desired length of the bunk, and rigidly attached in any suitable manner to beams 4, preferably extending entirely through the wall and lying flush with the wall in the adjoining room where it may be employed in similar capacity. Bed frame bearings 5, approximately U-shaped and formed integral with uprights t or securely connected thereto in any appropriate manner desired are positioned in horizontal 4alinement on the uprights for each respective bunk, a plurality of said bearings being employed in accordance with the number of bunks to be arranged in a tier, as obvious. Said bearings are of such dimensions as to readily receive one rail of the bunk frame and permit free pivotal movement of the latter therein when the bunk is to be lowered or raised, accidental disengagement of the rail and bearing being provided against through the medium of countersunk retaining screws 6, engaging a threaded aperture in the front wall of the bearingv and extending rearwardly a suitable distance, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

Forwardly-extending lugs 7, formed integral with uprights 3 are adapted to receive the ring members 8 of bed frame supporting rods 9 and are offset from vthe face of the uprights a sufficient distance to permit said rods, when out of engagement with said frame to depend from the lugs in spaced relation from the uprights, for a purpose to be later explained, each of said lugs being provided with a guiding notch 10 in which the ring member of the rod 9 seats, thus providing for proper disposition of said rods to insure desired engagement thereofl with the bed frame rail when the frame is allowed to drop from upwardlyfolded position to sleeping position, as illustrated in Fig. 1, the rods 9 being terminally formed with rail-receiving hooks 11, provided with buffers 11, and adapted to engage the outer rail of the bed frame and maintain the latter in approximately horizontal position when lowered, as desired, the said hooks respectively abutting the inner edge of the union couplings of said rail and preventing, in conjunction with notches 10 undesired play of said rods laterally of the rail.

12 denotes the mattress element, formed of any suitable material adapted for heavy wear and usage, such as heavy duck or the like and comprises a bag-like structure open at one end thereof as at 13, preferably made seamless and provided with apertures 111 appropriately spaced to permit the passage therethrough of the front wall of bearings 5 when the mattress element has been operatively positioned on the bed frame, which, as obvious, by slipping the latter into the former.

15 and 16 denote respectively the form of the supporting rod connect-ion and the bed frame bearing when it is desired to employ the bunk in places where it is impracticable or undesirable to install the uprights 3, such as any form of outdoor sleeping where the intended occupant of the bed may possibly be frequently moving, and changing his location, in which case the screw form of these elements adapts them to be used in conjunction with a tree, porch-post, tent poles and the like.

17 indicates a suspension hook detachably secured to the rear face of the uprights 3 to be used in those instances where it may be found expedient to hang the uprights over any appropriate supporting structure as a fence top or the like, from which, as evident, the bed may be effectively sustained.

It will be seen that the bed, being pivotally hung, is adapted to be folded either upwardly or downwardly against a wall,

suming that th-e bed has been folded upwardly to lower it to operative position it is only necessary to grasp the upper rail of the frame and move it outwardly beyond the vertical and release it, said rail fo-llowing down the supporting rods 9 as they move outwardly and which, held in the proper plane of movement by notch-es 10 automatically engage said rail with their hooks 11 and maintain the bed in proper sleeping position, the operation of adjusting the bed to said position when it has been folded downwardly being obvious. Y

It is to be noted that the upper rail of the bed frame when the latter has been folded either upwardly or downwardly is sufiiciently spaced from the wall to permit of its use as a support on which to hang the bed clothing, while the pillow may be retained between the wall and the mattress element.

It is well known that two of the most deleterious conditions existing in` jails, almshouses and other institutions housing large numbers of people, are the lack of sanitary sleeping quarters and lack of space, conditions which, in such institutions rapidly breed disease, the former condition being occasioned in large measure by the opportunity afforded by the ordinary bed used in such institutions for the accumulation of vermin and dirt and the diiiiculty, due to the structure of such beds, to discover and effectually eliminate such pests.

t is obvious that I have provided abed which as a result of its simplicity of structure and almost total lack of crevices, joints,

and the like, presents practically no places for the lodgment of dirt or vermin, and

which, when found desirable, may be rapbed possesses the adaptability to be easily and inexpensively kept in excellent sanitary condition and also to be disposed, when not in use, in limited, unused space, from which it can be made to assume operative sleeping position with but very slight manipulation, qualities most urgently desired in a bed of this character.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim, is

1. A hanging berth structure including pivot supports, a skeleton rectangular frame removably mounted in said support, a rod support, a rod movably mounted in said support and terminally formed to provide a h ook to engage the frame remote from the pivot supports, the rod support being formed to engage and normally hold the rod in a position to insure automatic engagement of the hooks of the rod with the frame in the gravitation of the latter to operative position, and a mattress element designed to be slipped over the frame and wholly inclose the same, said element comprising an.- open-ended envelop structure having por-A tions cut away to expose portions of the frame for coperation with the pivot supports.

2. A hanging berth structure including a skeleton frame of rectangular outline, a mattress covering therefor, designed to be slipped over the frame and wholly inclose the same, said covering comprising an openended envelop structure having portions cut away to expose parts of one bar of said frame, and means secured to a xture to removably engage the exposed parts of said bar to pivotally support the frame, said means serving to prevent independent endwise movement of the mattress covering, the covering being reversible on the frame, and the frame reversible in said supporting means.

3. A hanging berth structure including a skeleton frame, an envelop covering designed to be slipped endwise over said frame and wholly inclose the same, said covering being adapted to be reversed or inverted on the frame, supporting means for the frame including hooks to removably and detachably support the frame for pivotal move` ment and rods to removably engage the frame opposite the hook engagement to maintain the frame in horizontal position, the connection between the hooks and frame and rods and frame permitting a reversal or inversion of the frame for use.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE C. GUMM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each` by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, 1). C. 

